Sunday, August 5, 2012

Loughner to Plead Guilty - He's Eligible for the Death Penalty

Loughner, 23, is
charged with 49 criminal offenses including first-degree murder over the
shooting rampage, which wounded 13 people. A not guilty plea was
entered on his behalf last year.

The Wall Street
Journal, which also reported that Loughner would plead guilty, said
Tuesday's mental status hearing had been changed to a change-of-plea
hearing, citing an official familiar with the case.

If U.S. District
Judge Larry Burns were to determine at Tuesday's hearing that he was fit
for trial, Loughner - who is being forcibly medicated to treat his
psychosis - could face the death penalty if found guilty.

Mentally ill people belong in hospitals, not jails, and they certainly should not be put to death.

What could be clearer than a case in which the authorities have to medicate the suspect to treat his psychosis before he's even capable of standing trial?

The NRA, the gun manufacturers and their lobby machine are more responsible for this crime than this pathetic, sick man. That's where our focus should be, on the root of the problem.

It's just impossible for you to accept that in this case, no one is responsible. What we have here is that rare kind of lunatic who is organized enough to be dangerous. Had he not been able to get a gun, he could just as easily have made a bomb or rented a big truck. I saw a report recently about a fellow in China who went on a killing spree with knives. The point here is that there are some kinds of danger are a part of life, and until you can legislate away mortality, this will happen--rarely, let us be grateful.

Mikeb, mass killings are rare, period. When it comes to a bomb, it doesn't have to be plastic explosives. There are lots of options for people who are crazy, but not so bright.

But you're evading the point. If guns are at fault, why don't we have lots of these events? Why aren't these a daily occurance in any populated area? The answer is that the vast majority of people aren't criminally insane and the vast majority of gun owners are good people.